


Nino Lahiffe: Matchmaker Extraordinaire

by not_today (708234)



Series: The Miraculous Extraordinares [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alya Césaire Ships It, Awesome Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois Knows, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Crack, Dancing, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Humor, Identity Reveal, Idiots in Love, Matchmakers Nino Lahiffe & Chloe Bourgeois, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Mutual Pining, Nino Appreciation, Nino Lahiffe Is So Done, Nino Lahiffe Knows, Nino Lahiffe Ships It, Nino and Chloe are bros, Nino is my favorite, Nino just wants his juice box, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, POV Nino Lahiffe, Pining, Secret Identity, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:54:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22945864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/708234/pseuds/not_today
Summary: Her grin widened. "Oh, you know, how Chat Noir obviously has a thing for Dupain-Cheng. He was all over her today, flirting and kissing her hand. I think he even called her Princess. That mangy cat is smitten."A lot of things happened at once. Marinette stammered out some retort, her cheeks flushed an incriminating pink. Adrien's face burned and Alya's mouth hung open. And Nino simply switched to the next song on his spotify playlist, not even batting an eye.Ah yes. It was all coming together.--In which Marinette and Adrien are pining, Alya is confused, Nino is frustrated, and Chloe is the fandom.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois & Nino Lahiffe, Nino Lahiffe & Plagg
Series: The Miraculous Extraordinares [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666168
Comments: 91
Kudos: 1024





	1. Chapter 1

Nino Lahiffe would consider himself a pretty patient person. 

For one thing, he had the pleasure of being Adrien Agreste’s best friend. And contrary to popular belief, Adrien’s life was not all sunshine and smiles. So when Adrien called him at three in the morning to complain about his father, Nino rubbed his eyes, gave up on sleep, and listened. And when Adrien turned out to be a dork with a strange fixation on cat puns and an unhealthy obsession with anime, Nino just smiled and suffered in silence. Because Adrien was his best bro, and that’s what friends do.

And then there’s his girlfriend. He loved her, he really did, but it took everything in his power to not tie her to her chair during akuma attacks. And then of course, after they started dating, she convinced him to come with her. And because Nino is a push-over, he ended up following her through the wrecked city and ignoring his survival instinct every time, pockets heavy with back-up bateries and heart hammering because _no Alya, this isn’t some stupid game_ . They could _die_.

Last but not least, there’s Marinette. Sweet, loyal Marinette who could beat him at arm wrestling any day and has more emotional strength than anyone he’s ever met. She was normally pretty chill, but there was always the days when Adrien’s obliviousness and the stress of school caught up to her, and she ended up calling him because she couldn't deal with Alya’s good-natured prying and she doesn’t want Adrien to see her so upset. So of course, Nino dashes to the nearest grocery store, purchases a gallon of strawberry ice cream, and sits on the end of Marinette’s bed quietly as she stuffs her face with the frozen treat and cries to him about anything and everything. More often than not, it’s about Adrien, and Nino swears under his breath and wishes his best friend would just open his eyes and see the amazing girl that sits behind him.

All in all Nino is a patient person. But like anyone, he has his limits.

It all started on a Tuesday afternoon. If Nino had been an organized person, he would have circled the day in red marker on some calendar. Because that was the day that Nino had discovered that Adrien, his best bro, was also Chat Noir. All things considered, perhaps it should have been obvious. They had the same looks, awful sense of humor, and almost concerning obsession with Ladybug. And yet, Nino had been shocked, spending at least five minutes gaping at the recently de-transformed hero. Adrien had stared at him for a few moments before completely freaking out.

"Oh god. Ladybug is going to kill me. Nino, you can't tell anybody! Swear it to me! This is a cat-astrophe!"

Nino cringed at the pun, but it was enough to shake him out of his stupor. Cat-themed superhero or not, it was still Adrien. So eventually, Nino got used to it. And if he started carrying around some awful smelling cheese for the mischievous creature Adrien called Plagg, and brought extra coffee to school the morning after akuma attacks, he could only hope nobody noticed.

Apart from the constant anxiety he felt while watching Chat Noir fight, Nino had come to terms with the discovery. But then, nearly two weeks later, he had a very similar experience. Except that this time it was Marinette de-transforming, who was apparently also Ladybug. Nino wasn't exactly proud of the not-so-manly shriek he let out when Maribug turned her burning gaze on him. That reveal had been much less fun. Marinette had sat him down and borderline threatened him if he didn't keep his mouth shut. Nino would have never guessed his sweet classmate could be so terrifying. But she had eventually let up, and now Nino was blessed with the knowledge of both superheroes' identities.

He of course couldn't tell anyone, but he knew it was info many people would kill for. Probably kill him for. People like Alya. Yeah, Alya would definitely kill him if she found out he was keeping this from her. Fantastic.

However, that wasn't the reason Nino was rapidly losing patience. No, that was because this morning, as he was forced to listen to another one of Adrien's "Ladybug is Amazing" rants, he had an epiphany. His two best friends had been pining after and dancing around each other for years, and they were both so irritatingly oblivious. The more Adrien praised Ladybug, the harder Nino grit his teeth.

By the time they got to school, Nino was uncharacteristically irritated. Even Alya's quick kiss and excited rambling did nothing for his mood. And as the day wore on, it only got worse. The class started some discussion about Paris' resident superheroes, and their love life. Adrien seemed convinced that LadyNoir would happen eventually, so he looked incredibly wounded when Marinette claimed that Chat Noir was just a flirt and nothing would come of it. And then, two minutes later, Adrien was launching into another smitten Ladybug speech, and Marinette was practically swooning. Nino had to fight the urge to facepalm.

Perhaps if he hadn't been in such a mood, he would have noticed the light blue eyes watching him from across the room. But as it was, he wasn't paying attention, and he was completely caught off guard when Chloe walked right up to him when class ended. Chloe almost never interacted with him. Sure she hung all over Adrien, and she was constantly butting heads with Marinette or Alya. But he never really spoke to her.

"Lahiffe," she addressed, staring down at him haughtily.

"Umm...hi?" 

She raised one elegant eyebrow. "Let's skip the pleasantries. Based on your reactions to our discussion today I'm assuming you've also discovered the love square?"

Nino stared at her. "Huh?" _Real smooth_.

Chloe sighed as if his ignorance was the largest inconvenience known to man. "Honestly, try to keep up. I mean how your two friends are pining after each other but their secret identities are messing everything up?"

Nino gaped. "Hold up, you know about their identities?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Obviously. I've known Adrien forever, and he's a terrible liar. Plus, Dupain-Cheng has absolutely no subtly. If I got a dollar every time either of them had to go to the bathroom during an akuma attack, I'd be rich." She considered this for a moment. "Well, richer."

Nino was silent for a moment trying to process her words and feeling uncomfortable with the icy gaze directed at him. "Right. Ok, so you know. Why are you bringing this up?"

"Because," she said, dragging out the word as if it should be obvious. "You seem like the meddling type, and you're definitely going to need help to get them together."

He frowned at that. He didn't "meddle". Sure, he had helped Alya with almost all of her convoluted Adrienette plans, and he had gotten involved in far too many akuma fights to protect his friends, and there was that one time-

Ok, maybe he was a meddler.

The rest of her sentence suddenly registered. "Wait, you want to get them together? But you've got a thing for Adrien!"

Chloe waved a hand dismissively. "No, I'm just super affectionate with him because he never got enough love as a kid. Besides, he's more like a brother to me, so I want to see him happy. And as much as I hate to admit it, Dupain-Cheng makes him happy."

"Wow. That's actually surprisingly sweet."

Chloe glared. "Don't make me regret this, Lahiffe. So, do you want my help, or not?"

Nino hadn't been planning on doing anything on his frustration, but perhaps he owed this to his best bro. "Alright, sure. But we need to come up with a plan name. Ladynoir? Adrienette? Ladynetteadrinoir?"

Her lip curled in disgust. "Let's just stick with Operation Lovesquare."

"I still don't get where you're getting that."

"I'll have to show you the flowchart."

"Flowchart?"

"Don't worry about it."

They were interrupted by the buzzing of Nino's phone, announcing a message from Alya.

 **Babe <3 ** _where r u? going to Mari's for lunch_

"I should probably go," he said, glancing back up at the blonde sheepishly.

She nodded. "We'll have to meet somewhere outside of school to make our plan. I'll make lunch reservations for tomorrow. Give me your phone."

Nino handed the device over warily. "Uh, reservations? You don't have to do that, dudette. We can just meet in the library or something."

"Nonsense," Chloe replies, handing back his phone, where she had sent herself a text. "If we're going to do real planning, we need real food. I'll text you the venue once it's reserved."

"Right." He said, grabbing his bag and following her outside the room. He walked all the way to Marinette's house in a slight daze, and managed to make up some excuse about talking to a teacher after class. The others seemed to accept this, and soon he was sitting at the Dupain-Cheng's kitchen table, practically inhaling a croissant while Alya excitedly showed them the footage she got of the latest akuma battle.

Later that night, when he received a text from Chloe Bourgeois telling him to be at an incredibly expensive restaurant at exactly 12:30 the next day, he decided that this was another day he'd circle in red on his non-existent calendar.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino gets a juice box, Chloe has a Love Square Chart, and The Plan is put in motion.

It was 12:30 on the dot, and Nino was sitting in a far-too-fancy restaurant trying to ignore the well-dressed couple glaring at his cap and t-shirt. The waiter had been just as judgemental, eying him warily and double-checking his name four times. Nino supposed it made sense, considering his appearance, but it was still incredibly awkward.

Escaping his friends had been only slightly difficult. He'd told them his mom wanted him home, which had raised a few questions from Adrien and Alya. His poor excuse, along with Chloe's frequent significant glances, were enough to make them suspicious. But eventually it had been Marinette who'd told them to calm down and just let him go. Nino watched the way his friends instantly listened to her and wondered how he could have ever thought Ladybug was someone else.

His phone buzzed suddenly, announcing a message from Chloe herself.

 **The Chloe Bourgeois** _On my way. Try not to make a fool of yourself before I get there._

 _Too late,_ he thought to himself, catching the words "lower class swine" from the next table over.

Hearing a commotion from the front, he turned to find Chloe had finally arrived. She was speaking to the waiter, who was all smiles and compliments. Chloe was wearing the same thing she'd worn to school, which wasn't all that comforting considering everything she owned was designer.

A few moments later she was sitting across from him at the table and setting a sparkly pink folder in between them. The waiter pulled out a notebook and asked for drink orders.

"Hmm, I think I'll get that smoothie from last time," Chloe said. "The one my daddy custom ordered, with strawberries from Turkey and chocolate from Belgium."

Nino gaped, but the waiter just smiled. "Of course, Mademoiselle! I'll have that for you in a minute." He turned to Nino, and his pleased expression disappeared. "And for you?" 

Nino scanned the table frantically for some kind of menu, but there was nothing. _Quick, think of something. Any drink!_

"Um, could I get a juice box?" _Not that._

The waiter blinked at him, and Chloe looked like she was barely stifling a laugh. Nino suddenly understood how Marinette felt everytime she said something stupid in front of Adrien. He briefly wondered if it was too late to transfer schools and never set foot in Paris again.

"I'm...sorry? What was that?" The waiter asked.

"He said he wants a juice box," Chloe responded before Nino could fix his mistake. "Is that a problem?"

"Oh no, of course not Mademoiselle! Coming right up!" The man scurried away, and Nino stared at Chloe, who gazed right back. The lasted a full two seconds before both bursting into giggles.

" _Oh my gosh!"_ Chloe cried in between fits of laughter. _"I can't believe you just said that!"_

Nino was vaguely aware of the irritated looks other customers were sending their way, but he was laughing too hard to care. Laughing with _Chloe._ What had the world come to?

When they finally got themselves together and received their drinks (a sophisticated looking glass for Chloe and a tiny apple juice box for Nino), Chloe opened the folder she brought and pulled out a graphic titled "The Lovesquare".

Drawn on the paper was a web of lines connecting Marinette, Adrien, Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"Wow." Nino said after taking a long sip from his juice. "It really is a square."

"Indeed. Now, I was thinking about it, and there are two ways we can fix this. Either we get Adrien interested in Marinette, or Ladybug interested in Chat Noir."

Nino nodded. "If we fix one relationship, we fix them all. Well, how about I work on Adrien and you work on Ladybug. You definitely see Ladybug more, with all the akumas you cause." Nino winced, immediately regretting the words, but Chloe didn't seem offended.

"Sounds good. We can try to talk to them in both their superhero and civilian forms. You know, you're not half bad, Lahiffe."

Nino smiled. "You're pretty chill too, dudette." The slight bonding moment was interrupted by a screech from outside. 

"MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG! WHERE IS THAT GIRL!"

Nino and Chloe exchanged annoyed glances.

"We should probably go check that out," Chloe sighed. "Lunch will have to wait."

Nino agreed, standing up and grabbing his juice box for the road.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Forget the juice box, Turtle Boy."

"Turtle Boy?" Nino asked suddenly panicked. "But how did you know that I was..." He trailed off at her unimpressed look. "Right, it's obvious. Ok, let's just go."

***

The akuma had been some girl from their school, angry because Marinette had beaten her in Student President Elections. The girl had trapped Parisians around the city in some daze and forced them to be her loyal citizens. Nino had gotten zapped within minutes of arriving on the scene, so he didn't remember much of the battle.

When he returned to school, Marinette waved to him from the stairs and he went to join her.

"Hey Nino! I saw you get hit today. You okay?"

Nino smiled at his friend's concern. "I'm all good Nette. Good work today!"

She beamed at him, and they entered the classroom together. Adrien and Alya were already in their seats, along with a few other students. Chloe was nowhere to be found.

Within minutes, the blonde strolled into the room, Sabrina following eagerly like a lap dog.

"Oh Dupain-Cheng, nice work creating an akuma today!" She called.

Marinette and Alya glared. "Shut up Chloe!" Alya replied hotly. "It's not Marinette's fault the student body loves her."

Chloe grinned. "Yes, and it seems the students aren't the only ones who love her."

Adrien frowned. "What are you talking about, Cho?"

Her grin widened. "Oh, you know, how Chat Noir obviously has a thing for Dupain-Cheng. He was all over her today, flirting and kissing her hand. I think he even called her Princess. That mangy cat is smitten."

A lot of things happened at once. Marinette stammered out some retort, her cheeks flushed an incriminating pink. Adrien's face burned and Alya's mouth hung open. And Nino simply switched to the next song on his spotify playlist, not even batting an eye.

_Ah yes, it was all coming together._

"Chat Noir is just a flirt!" Marinette finally got out, still blushing

"Girl, why didn't you tell me?" Alya exclaimed at the same time.

Adrien's eyes flickered between Marinette and Chloe, clearly overwhelmed. Nino's phone buzzed.

 **The Chloe Bourgeois** _Bourgeois_ _one, Lahiffe none. Step up your game, Turtle Boy._

Nino grinned and changed her contact to **Partner in Crime.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Operation Love Square seems to be going well, until Nino realizes they've made a mistake.

"Ughh that battle took forever! I am in dire need of immediate sustenance!" A nasally voice cried in Nino's ear. He rolled his eyes, reaching into his bag for cheese.

"Shouldn't you be with Adrien?" Nino asked, offering the cheese to the kami. 

Plagg snatched it up eagerly and devoured it in one bite. "Nah, he'll be fine."

"NINO!" came a shout from down the hallway. "I need you to help me find-" Adrien cut off abruptly, glaring at Plagg.

"Where have you been? Just because Nino carries Camembert now doesn't mean you need to go to him after every akuma!"

"Relax, kid." Plagg responded lazily, floating down to land on Nino's shoulder. "Your friend is just way more chill."

Adrien scowled, but opened his shirt pocket for the troublesome creature. "C'mon Nino, let's go. Marinette said we could have lunch at her place again, and I'm dying for a croissant."

Nino perked up at the mention of their friend. "Hey dude, speaking of Marinette, she's pretty sweet, isn't she? I mean, she always goes out of her way to get us all food and stuff."

"Uh yeah, she's pretty nice."

"Just nice?" Nino pushed. "Don't you think she's cute too? I mean, she's super clumsy, but it's kind of endearing."

When Adrien didn't respond, Nino turned to find him looking shocked.

"What's wrong dude?"

"Nino. Are you cheating on Alya with Marinette?"

Nino's jaw dropped. "What?! No, why would you think that?" Adrien's explanation was interrupted by a new voice.

"Lahiffe's cheating on Cesaire? Now there's a surprise!" Chloe sauntered up to them, eyes alight with mischief. "If anyone in your little group was interested in Dupain-Cheng, I'd think it's you, Adrikins. You're awfully kind to her."

Adrien began floundering, stumbling over his words, and Chloe smirked at Nino.

 _Oh no._ He thought. _I'm not letting her win this._ Adrien was _his_ best friend, afterall.

"No way, dudette. Even if he did like Nette, you were just saying how Chat Noir obviously has a crush on her." Adrien sent him a sharp look, which he promptly ignored. "He may be a model, but he can't compete with a superhero."

"It doesn't matter!" Adrien exclaimed. "Marinette is just a good friend."

"Right," Chloe agreed patronizingly. "Because good friends have pictures of you all over their bedroom walls."

"And good friends can't speak around you without stuttering," Nino added.

"You always invite good friends to important fashion shows."

"Good friends kiss you on the cheek."

"You dance with good friends at parties."

"And good friends definitely-"

"-Okay, okay!" Adrien finally interrupted. "Despite whatever you two think, we're just friends."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "The blush on your face says otherwise." Nino snorted.

"Guys! Enough! Honestly, you two agreeing on something is starting to freak me out."

Chloe sighed. "Fine, you're just good friends. Guess that makes it all the easier for Chat Noir. Now, excuse me, I have a fancy lunch to eat and a juice box to drink." She gave Nino a pointed look, then left smirking.

"Wait, did she just say _juice box_?"

"Don't worry about it dude."

***

For the rest of the week, Chloe and Nino dropped hints to try and get the heroes interested in each other. Adrien and Marinette were irritatingly oblivious, simply denying any suggestion of attraction. Alya was starting to get suspicious, and Nino knew it was only a matter of time before his girlfriend started asking serious questions.

About a week from when they began the plan, he texted Chloe with his concerns.

 **Turtle Boy** _this isn't working! they aren't interested in each other at all_

 **Partner In Crime** _Relax. We just need more time._

 **Turtle Boy** _how much more? this is going to take 4ever_

 **Partner In Crime** _There's a school dance next week. Let's try to get them together by then, or we can make a new plan._

 **Turtle Boy** _fine. i'm not sure it will work tho_

Nino hadn't been planning on going to the dance. But if that's what it took to get his friends together, he'd suffer in silence. Chloe had decided that this time, he should talk to Marinette and she would talk to Adrien.

"Hey Nette!" He said, smiling as he slid into the seat across from her in the library. 

She smiled back. "Hey there, Nino. What's up?"

"Well, I was just wondering about what Chloe said the other day. I know that Chat Noir flirts with you relentlessly while you're transformed, but does he really do it when you're a civilian?"

Marinette put down her book. "I mean, sometimes. But that cat is just a huge flirt."

"I don't know about that, dudette," Nino said, adopting a thoughtful expression. "I've never seen him flirt with anyone else. It seems like he really just likes _you._ "

She pursed her lips in thought. "I guess. I don't know Nino, but it doesn't really matter. I have a crush on Adrien, remember?"

"I know. But as much as I love my bro, he's denser than a brick. And Chat Noir seems to genuinely care about you."

"Maybe you're right. Adrien is amazing, but Chat Noir means a lot to me." A fond smile spread across her face. "He's always there when I need him, and he never stops protecting me. Besides, he's almost as handsome as Adrien." 

She froze, eyes wide, as she realized what she had said. "You can't tell anyone I said that! Not even Alya!"

Nino chuckled. "You're secrets are safe with me, Nette. All of them."

Marinette relaxed. "Thanks. And perhaps you're on to something. I never realized how much my Kitty means to me. I definitely know him better than Adrien."

Nino cheered inwardly. _Take that Bourgeois. One point to Lahiffe._

***

Nino entered the classroom with renewed hope the next morning, Adrien by his side. Chloe had texted last night to say her talk with the model had gone well, and Nino had told her about his success with Marinette.

They took a seat, and Adrien started rambling about how annoying his new photographer was. Nino couldn't help but smile. Just two years ago, Adrien would have been terrified to bad mouth anyone from his dad's company. He had come a long way.

Suddenly, an exhausted-looking Marinette crashed into the room, Alya close on her heels. To Nino's delight, Adrien had trailed off and his gaze was transfixed on the clumsy girl. Nino met Chloe's eye from across the classroom and sent her a quick thumbs up.

Adrien's eyes followed Marinette all the way to her seat, and he kept sneaking glances at her during the lesson. Nino had initially felt smug, but he soon realized that Marinette wasn't reacting at all. Where was the blushing and stuttering that occurred every time Adrien so much as mentioned her?

But despite Adrien's constant gaze, Marinette's eyes remained stubbornly glued to the paper in front of her. What could be so important that Marinette wasn't even noticing the model's looks? She never really paid that much attention in class.

Irritated, Nino shifted to try and see what she was working on. When he finally caught a glimpse, he froze in his seat. Because the thing Marinette was so focused on was a drawing of none other than Chat Noir. She wasn't even sparing Adrien a glance because she was too wrapped up in her drawing of the cat. There were _hearts_ around the superhero.

Nino felt cold dread settle in his stomach. He and Chloe had made a terrible mistake.

They had just reversed the Love Square.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino and Chloe make a new plan, and Plagg is surprisingly supportive.

"I don't understand!" Chloe moaned. "How can two superheroes be so incredibly  _ stupid?" _

Nino just rolled his eyes and handed her a macaroon. They had decided to meet up at the park to discuss the Reversed-Love-Square problem. And since he was a good person, Nino had brought along snacks, courtesy of Mrs. Cheng.

"Honestly, maybe we should just give up," he suggested, popping a cookie into his mouth. 

"Are you insane?" Chloe exclaimed, leaping up from her spot on the bench beside him.  _ No, but you definitely look like you are,  _ Nino thought, wincing a bit at her crazed expression. "We've come so far, we can't just quit now."

"Okay, fine. Got some brilliant plan you've been waiting to announce?"

Chloe was silent for a moment, clearly deep in thought. "What if...what if we revealed their identities?"

Nino shook his head furiously. "Absolutely not! Marinette would kill me. And I very much like being alive." 

Chloe flopped down next to him, devoid of her usual grace and poshness. Nino was still warming up to Chloe acting like a normal teenager, but he definitely liked this side of her more that the snobby girl he'd assumed she was. He supposed appearances could be deceiving. Wait...that was it!

Nino suddenly shot upwards. "I've got it! The Miraculous hide their identities from the public, right? But it's way easier for miraculous holders to figure it out, which is why you discovered all of our identities."

Chloe shrugged. "Sure, if you're looking. But I doubt either of them would suspect each other unless we literally spelled it out for them.

Nino grinned. "Then that's exactly what we'll do."

***

Nino had to call in some favors to make the plan go smoothly. He'd had Chloe pull the "My daddy is the Mayor" card to change the theme of the party. Next was Alya, who was incredibly skeptical of his motivations, but eventually helped when he agreed to film the next three battles with her so she could get multiple angles.  _ The things he did for those two dorks.  _ And then, he'd spoken with Natalie to confirm Adrien's attendance. That one had been the hardest, but he had eventually convinced the assistant that Adrien deserved to have some fun.

Despite having a foolproof plan in the works, both he and Chloe were growing more exasperated every day. The interactions of the superheroes were now painful at best, and downright dangerous at worst. Just a day ago, Ladybug had fallen off a roof when Chat Noir complimented her. He had managed to save her in time, but the way the girl blushed and stammered out a thanks had Chloe banging her head against the wall repeatedly.

All of Paris was suddenly interested in the shift in the super team's dynamic. It probably had something to do with the article Alya had posted, which speculated about Ladybug's new behavior, and suggested that she had finally succumbed to Chat Noir's charms. It was closer to the truth that anyone knew.

Nino was starting to feel a bit guilty about all their meddling. Both Marinette and Adrien had complained to him about how difficult it was to fight an akuma  _ and  _ protect civilians who flocked around the scene to observe the superheroes themself. He told himself that it would be all over soon. The dance was on Friday, two days away, and if their plan didn't work, they'd give up.

***

The day of the dance came far too soon for Nino's liking, and soon he was sitting in class, trying not to think of all the ways the plan could go wrong, and attempting to focus on the Physics test he hadn't studied for. Perhaps it was a bad sign that he cared more about his best friend's love life than his education, but he chose not to dwell on it too much.

The day passed in a blur, and soon Nino was heading home to get ready. He'd stayed behind to double check a few things with Chloe, so the locker room was empty when he began packing his things.

"Hey Lahiffe!" A voice called from behind him. "Got any cheese?"

He turned to find a black cat floating near him, a toothy grin on the kwami's face.

"Hey Plagg. I'm assuming Adrien doesn't know you're here?" 

"Course not."

"That's going to stress him out."

"And?" Nino shook his head at the flippant tone. Poor Adrien. He had really gotten the short end of the stick. Nino had only met Marinette's kwami, Tikki, a handful of times, but she seemed much sweeter.

"Did you really come find me to ask for cheese?" Nino questioned, shutting his locker and walking towards the door, Plagg floating behind him.

"Nah. I just wanted to say that I know what you and Blondie are doing."

Nino turned to him in shock. "You do?"

Plagg smiled smugly. "Of course I do. Just because my chosen is dense doesn't mean I am." His face softened. "I think it's a great idea. He really loves her, and he deserves some love of his own. Poor kid doesn't let himself be happy enough. Anyway, if anything in your plan goes wrong, Tikki and I will do what we can."

Nino could feel warmth bubbling in his chest. "Wow...thanks Plagg. That means a lot."

"Don't get all sappy on me, Lahiffe. I take care of my kittens. You may not be my chosen, but that includes you." It was probably the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him. Plagg winked, then flew off, most likely back to Adrien.

Nino took a deep breath. Tonight had to work. There were too many people rooting for them for it to fail.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dance finally arrives, and Marinette and Adrien figure themselves out.

Ten minutes before the dance, Nino was waiting in Marinette's living room, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. He had arrived at the Dupain-Cheng household nearly twenty minutes ago, but the girls had insisted he wait until they were "presentable". Adrien was coming separately, which worked fine for Nino.

The plan was fairly simple. Chloe had asked the principal to make it a costume ball, and he and Alya had convinced/bribed/blackmailed their best friends into wearing costumes that represented their superhero counterparts. The hope was that they would see each other dressed up as superheroes, hear Nino and Chloe's innocent comments about how much they resembled the  _ real  _ superheroes, and finally figure it all out.

The issue with this was that Nino also had to wear a costume. Part of convincing Alya to make Marinette dress up as Ladybug involved her letting her pick his costume. So now, he was dressed in an orange and white suit, complete with ears and a tail. Yep, Nino was going as Rena Rouge.

Alya was supposed to be Carapace. Both her and Marinette had found it hilariously ironic, but Nino was much less amused.  _ Again, the things he did for those idiots. _

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Nino turned and his breath caught in his throat. Marinette was looking gorgeous in a sleeveless red and black dress, a spotted mask hanging off her arm. She looked amazing, but Nino only had eyes for his girlfriend.

Alya was wearing a slim fitting green dress that matched beautifully with her caramel skin. Two turtle shell earrings hung from her ears, and she also had a mask in her hand.

"Wow," Nino breathed.

The girls giggled. "See something you like, foxy?" Alya asked slyly. 

Nino shook himself out of his daze. There would be time to ogle his beautiful girlfriend later. "Of course I do. You two look amazing."

Marinette smiled shyly, and just when Nino thought they were ready to go, her parents came in and demanded they take pictures.  _ This is going to be a while  _ he thought.

***

It took ten more minutes, and about a thousand photos, but the trio finally made their way to school. Arriving at the dance seemed rather anticlimactic. It was, afterall, a school dance, so it wasn't all that impressive. There was a large space in the middle for dancing, and refreshments were set up on tables along the side of the room. 

Chloe walked by, raising a brow at Nino's outfit. She was, of course, dressed in a flowy Queen Bee dress and adorned with all sorts of accessories, including a comb that mimicked the one she wore as a superhero.

"These refreshments look great." she murmured as she passed by them to grab a drink. "All that's missing are the juice boxes." 

Nino groaned. "You're never gonna let that go, are you?"

"Nope," Chloe smirked, sauntering away.

When Adrien finally arrived, Nino hid a smile behind his punch cup. His best friend was wearing a tailored black suit, cat ears, and whiskers. He looked so much like Chat Noir that Nino worried for a moment. But nobody commented, and Nino silently thanked the power of the Miraculous.

Nino grabbed Adrien's arm and dragged him over to Alya and Marinette. It was a good thing Nino was holding him, because when he saw Marinette, the normally-graceful model nearly fell on his face.

"Wow Mari you look good today. Not that you don't look good every day! Because you do! You're  purr-fect! I mean, perfect! At looking good. Haha!"

Nino cringed at Adrien's rambling, meeting Chloe's eye from a few feet over. She pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance and Nino fought the urge to laugh.

"Umm, thanks. You look really good too!" Nino was pleased to note that Marinette was blushing. Whether it was because she still had feelings for Adrien, or because he looked like Chat Noir, Nino didn't know. But at this point, he'd take what he could get.

"Look at that! You two match!" he said, trying to act like he'd just noticed this. "And wow, you really look like Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Both the superheroes sent him warning looks, but he went on anyway. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually  _ are  _ superheroes."

Marinette laughed, a little too loud and high-pitched to be believable. Nino was glad Alya had wandered off a few moments ago to talk to Rose and Juleka. For someone with a secret identity, Marinette was a terrible liar. 

"That's crazy Nino!" she exclaimed. "Me, a hero? I'm far too clumsy to be Ladybug!"

"Yeah, and there's no way I'd be able to get out of the house and be Chat Noir," Adrien added, looking just as nervous.

"I don't know, I think Nino might be onto something." Chloe said, coming to stand beside him. Nino was pretty sure it was the first time she'd called him by his name. "The resemblance is uncanny. Plus, you two are always disappearing during akuma attacks."

Marinette's eyes were wide, and she was shooting Nino death glares, but Adrien looked thoughtful. "She's right. Where do you go during akumas?"

"Me?" Marinette spluttered. "What about you?"

Adrien frowned, and then something seemed to suddenly become clear. "M'lady?" he asked carefully.

"Kitty?" Marinette responded, voice tinged with disbelief.

"It's about time," Chloe snapped.

"Amen," Nino muttered.

"Oh my gosh. You're Chat Noir. You're my partner."

"And you're Ladybug. Figures I'd fall in love with the same amazing girl twice.

Marinette's cheeks flamed. "L-Love?

"Wow, fantastic! Now you two can go have babies and kiss and be generally disgusting," Chloe announced. 

"Maybe not in that order," Nino added.

"Wait a minute," Marinette said, eyes narrowing. "You two knew?"

"Yep," Chloe said smugly.

"This whole time?"

"Affirmative dudette."

"Well then, I think we've wasted enough time," Adrien broke in before turning to Marinette. "My Princess, M'lady, will you do me the honor of accompanying me on the dance floor?"

Marinette giggled. "Of course, you dorky cat."

They left together hand in hand, and Chloe wrinkled her nose in disgust. "That was the most sappy, overly-sweet thing I've ever seen."

Nino laughed, momentarily ignoring Alya's calls of  _ Nino, quick! Get the camera! Our babies are growing up!  _ "Oh, you know you love them. If you're not too busy painting your nails and shopping, you should hang out with us more often."

Chloe eyed him carefully, as if trying to gauge the seriousness of his statement. "Maybe I will," she finally said.

"Good. We make a good team." He gestured to the dance floor, where Marinette and Adrien were swaying softly, wrapped up in each other's arms with gigantic smiles on their faces.

"That we do, Turtle Boy," Chloe said, offering him a genuine smile of her own and raising her fist.

Nino grinned and brought his fist up to tap hers.

"Pound it!" they chorused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's finally done! This was my first ever fanfic, so please let me know what you think. Also, I'd love to hear prompt suggestions for other fics I can write in the future. Thanks for reading!


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